Phillies blow late lead, end five game win streak

The Phillies faltered late and blew a seventh inning, two-run lead that led to a 5-4 loss at the hands of the struggling Milwaukee Brewers on Friday. Aramis Ramirez got the winning base hit with men on the corners and one out in the ninth, securing the come-from behind win for the Crew and halting the Phillies’ win streak before it could reach six games.

The Phillies spotted Cliff Lee a four run lead, but he struggled as the game went on. Lee departed with the score tied at four in the seventh, and the offense fell dormant and failed to score against the Brewer’s bullpen.

Lee labors a bit through his seven innings

The left-hander had just one clean inning and gave up four runs for the first time since May 1 (albeit only three earned). He allowed eight hits and uncharacteristically walked three batters. Until today, he had walked three in just one other game, and had not allowed a walk in his previous two starts. Lee did strike out nine batters, however, which givs him 20 strikeouts in his last two starts.

The big blow for Lee came in the seventh when he allowed a triple to Jean Segura after a lead-off walk to Norichika Aoki. Aoki scored on the play, and Segura came around to score as well after a throwing error to home plate by Freddy Galvis.

Phils got starter out early, but failed against ‘pen

The Phillies knocked around Brewer’s starter Alfredo Figaro, touching him up for four runs and seven hits in just over five innings of work before he departed, but they could not touch the Milwaukee bullpen. Five Milwaukee relievers combined to hold the Phis hitless through the final three and a third innings. The only two base runners came on walks in the seventh and eighth.

Sloppy fielding continues

Galvis’ errant throw home allowed Segura to come all the way around to tie the game in the seventh. (AP)

A huge throwing error from Freddy Galvis in that seventh inning allowed Jean Segura to come all the way around and tie the game on what would have been an RBI triple . Delmon Young also took forever to get to Segura’s batted ball, and after several weeks of acceptable play his defensive ineptitude is showing clearly. The Phillies continue to make bad plays that cost them runs, and in this case perhaps cost them the game.

This was a bad loss. The Brewers are a bottom tier team that the Phillies could have easily put away and extended their momentum with a six game win streak. But instead, that momentum comes to a screeching halt. Nobody was impressive in this game (except maybe Erik Kratz, who clubbed his eighth home run). Lee struggled, the offense abruptly stopped after Figaro left, the bullpen did not get the job done, and the defense was suspect yet again.

Up Next…

The Phillies will look to start a new streak tomorrow with Kyle Kendrick (6-3, 3.12 ERA) ont he hill against veteran lefty Tom Gorzelanny (1-0, 2.01 ERA). Game time is 6:15 (7:15 ET) at Miller Park.

Why the heck was Jeremy Horst in the game to face three straight RH batters, who happen to be Milwaukee’s three best hitters? Also, why didn’t they walk Ramirez (.383 OBP) to load the bases and pitch to Lecroy (.303 OBP)?

And that defense by D Young. Seriously, look at the replay… He basically walked to that ball that went to to the corner in RF. Had he been just a second faster he’d keep Segura at 3rd and not force what ended up being a bad/rushed throw from Galvis. I don’t care how hot he gets if he’s giving up runs defensively. Make him the DH/Full-time PH if you want, but he needs to stop seeing playing time in RF. It’s so damn clear to everyone… the Phil’s insistence on keeping him there is just utterly absurd.

hk – I was thinking the same thing. Maybe someone wasn’t available out there?? No sense at all.

And another thing that makes no sense is Delmon Young being on this team. Seriously….2 men on, one out….and he swings at the first freaking pitch! No plate discipline whatsoever! Yeah, yeah, yeah….he can sometimes mash a baseball over the fence. But he can’t really field that well and he CERTAINLY can’t run. I’m done with hearing Charlie say, “I feel like he’s close. He’s real close. I want to give him some more ABs so he gets his timing down.”

Manny – Seriously….I’m ready to start a petition to get this guy off the team.. This nonsense HAS to stop. Delmon Young is a total waste. I’d rather they go with a Nix/Mayberry platoon and just keep Revere in center, despite his own troubles out there. He’s a WAY better fielder than Young!

Lefty, you raise a good point about metrics vs. the eye test. Sometimes…not all the time…. metrics don’t tell the whole story and there’s more to a player than just his WAR. But this is a great example of the OVERALL value of advanced metrics, such as WAR…..because the -2.1 that you mention for Delmon certainly is more than validated by what we are seeing transpire out there on the field.

I know they are “enamored” with his power, the fact that he has the ability, with one swing of the bat, to do some real damage. I get the allure. This team does need power, especially from the right side. But at what expense?? And what other options do they have? Is Mayberry the answer? I tend to think that with more regular playing time he would be MORE valuable to them, especially when you factor in his defense and speed.

So then the question remains….what are they waiting for? If they can clearly see that JMJ is a better option and that with a combo of him, Nix and Revere in CF and RF…why hang on to Delmon at all? It just makes zero sense to me.

I think it is pretty clear they want DYoung in the lineup for his bat, and they don’t really care about defense. If they cared DBrown would of been playing RF as he has a better arm. Mayberry has had plenty of time to prove himself..Ruf in LF ..Brown in RF or they have to go outside organization.

Chuck, It takes them a while to see these things especially when an investment has been made, no matter how small that investment. Maybe they’re still mourning the loss of Durbin’s salary? I don’t know.

Seriously, do you think there is any chance that they could just put him on the bench and let him play a “Matt Stairs type” of role? Or would they not be able to control their desire to put him on the field, so he has to be let go completely?

Your point above is why I opposed the Young signing when it happened. At that time, many people – you may have been one, but forgive me if you were not – stated that the monetary commitment is not large, so they’ll just cut Young if he sucks. My argument was that they were signing a guy who sucked the past two seasons due to his mediocre offense and bad defense and base-running, so if they got pretty much what he produced in 2011 and 2012, they’d keep running him out there. Now that Young is producing as expected and as he did for the past two years, I see no reason to believe that they’ll cut him loose.

As G7 says, they probably look at his .454 SLG and think they’re getting their money’s worth despite the fact that his defense and base-running are so poor that he’s costing the team runs when he’s on the field and when the need to pinch-run for him and/or replace him pm defense is costing them runs when he’s not. If the team had a RF who could field and run the bases, Lee would not have pinch-run for DY in the 9th inning vs. Cincy – yes, I know they came back to win that game – and KK would not have had to pinch-run for Rollins in the game they lost vs. MIL last Saturday.

Since I don’t work for a major league baseball team, and don’t know all the ins and outs of the business side of the sport, I try not to be quick to negatively judge my favorite team’s abilities to do their jobs. So I’m quite certain that I was one who did not oppose the Young signing, and “stating that a small monetary commitment is not too large so that means that they could quickly dump a guy” sounds just like something I probably said.

i think it’s also fair to say that recent history shows that the team has signed a few guys, like Dontrelle Willis, to major league contracts with incentives, and has a track record of letting some of them go fairly quickly. So if I and others to assumed that possibility, it just doesn’t seem so far fetched an idea to me.

So, you were obviously correct on this call right from the start, and clearly no one is happy about it. My biggest complaint is the mentality of how all teams value power so highly, and can’t see that a huge percentage of balls put in play do not go over the fence, so you better have players capable of catching, and throwing the damn ball.

@Schmenkman, if you’re reading this- do you know what that percentage is by chance? Don’t go to any trouble, I just thought you might know. It would make for a more convincing argument if I had the number.

Anyway it looks like this years “front office Wigginton award” goes to Delmon Young. I guess that slugging % is like candy or a drug that they, as well as many other teams FO’s, just can’t stay away from.

The point of my comment earlier today was not to say, “I told you so” or to pat myself on the back, the point was to say that I think it is unrealistic to expect them to release Delmon. He is pretty much performing as any reasonable person should have expected him to perform, so I think Delmon is in line for at least another 60 PA’s and he’ll get more after them if his performance in those 60 PA’s is similar to his performance so far. If his hitting falls off, then he may be released. The only other thing that could possibly get him released is if Cliff Lee and/or Cole Hamels tell Charile that they really don’t want Delmon playing the field behind them. Hopefully, Cliff went into Charlie’s office last night and complained about Delmon’s effort on Segera’s triple and told him he refuses to pitch again with Delmon in RF.

G7 – Mayberry HAS proved himself…at least as far as being a better option than Delmon at this point for right now for this season. Forget Ruf for now. Think Brown in left, Revere/Mayberry in center, Nix/Mayberry in right. THAT combination, if done right, is a FAR better option that trotting Delmon out there all the time. What’s the issue here? I don’t get it.

As for Delmon and his bat. Yeah, Lefty’s got a point. Let him be a right-handed Matt Stairs. That’s really all he’s good for.

And this “investment” thing??? That makes me sick. What they are paying him is PEANUTS. Just cut him loose and eat the go&&amn money. They did it with Durbin and they can do it with Delmon, too. Christ.

Apparently, there weren’t many options left in the BP. Adams has a bum arm right now and DeFratus and Stutes have pitched a lot recently and needed a break. Still, using Horst against the best righties Milwaukee has seemed like a bad idea.

The real problem, though, was the bad play in the previous inning. D. Young is one of the worst defensive outfielders I’ve ever seen, and I’ve watched right fielders in T-ball games. Speed would help, but then a team would still be dealing with Young’s misjudgements of flies and his tungsten hands. Galvis has not been a defensive wizard lately, either.

The Phils’ bullpen is still a dismal place, particularly when it’s used frequently in the short starts of Cloyd and Pettibone. Adams has been unhealthy and perhaps shouldn’t have been signed.

I’m not going to fault Amaro directly, because scouting reports have a lot to do with roster decisions. But the scouting has been poor when slugs like D.Young or old health risks like Adams are being signed. One look at Young would show even an idiot that he has no clue about what a glove is, either for batting or defense. Adams might still have something left, but he was signed as an expensive upgrade when health and age should have indicated an incentive based deal.

What I’m saying is that although Amaro may not be directly at fault, it’s likely he’s the one who hired the clowns that give positive scouting reports on negative players. Therefore, he’s indirectly culpable at the very least.

They should trade d young.. someone will gamble on him being a dh.. either way he’ll look a lot better on someone else’s team… leave revere in center and bat him lower in the lineup… use Mayberry and nix in right or bring up ruf put him in left and Brown in right… if it’s power they want ruf has it not to mention he gets on base at a good rate.. start playing Hernandez at second over Galvis, because Hernandez is a better player … maybe it’s time to hand the manager duty over to ryne Sandburg as the Phillies are 112-112 in there last 224 games the last two seasons, impressive…

Charlie has always played it one game at a time, trying to put his best offensive lineup out there..while resting his regulars when needed..now trying to get back in the race against the bad Marlins and Brewers. He will probably get Hernandez a spot start here and there..probably even tonight..we ave seen the Mayberry/Nix platoon before..I have to believe the plan was to see Brown, Revere and DYoung in the everyday lineup..otherwise Rubens offseason was a failure except for MYoung.

Delmon Young is being showcased as an AL DH. Someone will take him for a low level prospect. Please take a look at Nix’s ABs over the last six weeks before you start wishing for a Nix/Mayberry platoon…nothing short of putrid. PS Something happened to my log-in ability for this site. I re-registered but have yet to hear from the site administrator. If you see this please help.

Of the hitters with enough PA’s to qualify since 2011, Delmon Young ranks 145th out of 175 in wOBA (right below Emilio Bonifacio and Jeff Francouer) and 142nd out of 175 in OPS (right below Alberto Callaspo, JP Arencibia and Pedro Alvarez). Throw in that Delmon is a bad base-runner in the ~25% of his PA’s when he has to run the bases and I don’t see any AL that would trade for him. I hope I’m wrong.

Someone will trade for him.. nobody thought Vernon wells would be traded, and twice he was traded bad contract and all.. it happens every year.. youngs contract is cheap someone will take him… then just play Mayberry in right or call up someone from the minors…

Nix hasnt been that good the last few weeks. He couldnt even catch up to the fast ball yesterday on that foul tip strike out. I had a yearning for some wings and stepped out. I was shocked when i return to see the game tied. This Adams signing is already going sour. Just a shame game got away from them like that.

So much negativity with Delmon Young. It seems to get contagious where everyone says “me too” in their criticism toward Young. My “eye test” tells me differently. Since he played RF regularly, he surprised me with his fielding and hustle making some difficult plays. He is not a speedster in getting to a line drive hit but it’s not for a lack of effort. I will give him credit for losing weight and learning to play RF.

If there is to be criticism with fielding, fans here should be looking at Freddy Galvis. He with the “little league’ bat (.228 BA) made his third error on a throw that allowed the tying run to score in the 7th inning of last night’s game. I still think he is overrated as an infielder. And why is he playing and not Frandsen? The Phillies with their toothless offense don’t have the luxury of putting an automatic out (Galvis) in the lineup. Frandsen at least can give the team a better option on offense.

The PN writer says.. “Nobody was impressive in this game (except maybe Erik Kratz)..” Huh? Dominic Brown had a double and a walk but I guess the writer expected another HR from Brown? (chuckles)

young has gotten better but he still sucks in the field.. I agree with you on Galvis I’ve been saying it for days… Hernandez is up until Chase comes back, Hernandez had real good numbers in the minors they have to play him at second…

Are you serious about his defense? Did you watch him last night on Segura’s hit or last weekend in Hamels’s and Cloyd’s starts vs. Milwaukee? Between Delmon and his namesake at 3B, it seems as though Phillies pitchers have to get 28 or 29 outs per game.

There are probably few people here that would claim D. Young doesn’t at least try. But “E” for effort just doesn’t translate to “A” for skills. He reminds me a bit of King Kong atop the Empire State Building. No matter what he did, he just couldn’t shake those airplanes. Like Young, he was just too big, clumsy, and awkward.

I was one of those who originally thought he should at least be given a chance. I’ve given him a chance, but really, it was only one game which convinced me he’s terrible. I might still wish the effort could transform him into a fielder, but I also know now that that would be like wishing the aforementioned Kong could suddenly dance the lead in Swan Lake.

Thing is…if Delmon gets hots and thus becomes legit trade bait….will Ruben just keep him cause he thinks he’s helping the team??? Don’t get me wrong…I LOVE what he potentially can do at the plate. But since we’re an NL team, that’s just not good enough in my opinion.